Todd Street residents focus on positives

A community garden on the grounds of the Illawarra's most disadvantaged housing estate is providing fresh hope and regeneration for the people who live there.

Todd Street, Warrawong has a reputation for being riddled with drug addicts and sex workers, and some buildings attract unsavoury characters.

On Tuesday 30 used syringes were found under bushes and in long grass near what many say is the worst block on the estate to live in.

But the law-abiding tenants in the complex are fed up with being stigmatised by the actions of drug dealers and addicts.

Daren Peers, 45, moved into one of the best blocks in the complex three years ago. At the time he wasn't happy with the move because of Todd Street's bad reputation. But his immediate neighbours are elderly and quiet.

'Most of the people who live here are ordinary people who get on with their lives and don't cause any trouble.'

Though he is sometimes kept awake at night by drug addicts brawling outside his unit, with the establishment of the community garden five months ago his views about living in Todd Street have changed dramatically.

He now feels part of a positive and friendly community, and the garden gives him an opportunity to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine.

"I get a lot of inspiration from it. It's really helped my life and takes my mind away from my problems. It would be nice if more people came down here to volunteer."

So far eight people have requested their own garden beds, including a four-year-old boy who tends a plot of strawberries.

Todd Street has 100 households living in a small area, and children live in 10 of the units. In the past five months the Mercury has reported on the plight of single mother of one Hollie Rizzotto, who for the past year has been unsuccessful in her efforts to be transferred out of the estate.